A Burning Galaxy
by Mysty Star
Summary: Post Order 66, this is the story of how Captain Rex and Ahsoka survived after the war, and how they helped form the Rebellion.
1. Prologue- Utapau

The final days of the war. No one acknowledged it aloud, but everyone knew it. The end was coming. It was only a matter of who moved first.

The Supreme Chancellor had been kidnapped, and rescued. Battles were quickly escalating, each one impacting drastically, as everyone knew it could be the battle to end the Clone Wars.

Torrent Company was Utapau, along with the 212th and General Kenobi. They had been dispatched there to help Kenobi reclaim Utapau and destroy General Grievous. The cyborg was dead now, thanks to the Jedi.

And then the order came.

All commanding officers got the holo-call from the Chancellor, and it was passed to every clone.

" _Execute Order 66."_

Order 66. The Jedi were enemies of the Republic, and had to be eliminated immediately. The Chancellor now commanded them, the Jedi were traitors and any and all were to be executed.

They fired on the traitor Kenobi, blasting him off the cliff face.

There were only two clones who weren't affected. The captain of the 501st, and one of their medics. Two clones, who were off to the side. One about to leave, the other ready to do what he could to help the Jedi.

They were about to be transferred back to Coruscant.

Captain Rex and his brother Kix, a medic, stood to the side, out of sight, watching as troopers filed back to the gunships.

"You sure about this Rex?" The blonde clone glanced over at the medic.

"Yes." Kix sighed, but didn't argue with his captain. "You better get going, Kix. Don't want to miss your ride."

Kix gave Rex one last, long, look. "You be careful, vod. Find her, and keep her head and yours down."

Rex clasped his arm. "I will. You be careful too, and do what you can, vod. Live to fight another day."

"Live to fight another day."

With that, Kix walked towards the Republic gunships, leaving Rex.

When he reached the gunships Sergeant Appo stopped him. "Where's the captain?"

Kix lowered his head. "He's…gone."

There was a stunned silence from the 501st for a brief minute. It seemed impossible that Rex was gone. He had been one of the best, always managing to survive impossible odds. Now he was gone.

But they couldn't grieve. They were needed back on Coruscant.

"Damned Jedi." Appo cursed. Because there was no way Rex would get killed by some clanker. It had to have been Kenobi.

Nothing more was said as the 212th and Torrent Company boarded their ships and took off towards the capital.

Appo, who had just realized that as second highest commanding officer, he would now lead the 501st, only had one thought.

 _The Jedi would pay._


	2. A Burning Galaxy

**Rex**

Rex sighed as he trekked away, heading towards the space port. He had already deactivated the trackers and life sign transmitters in his armor. If anyone looked at his display, it would show him as deceased.

The clone winced as he passed the spot where the others had blasted General Kenobi off the cliff face. He hadn't been able to warn him, and now the general was probably injured, lying at the bottom of one of the sinkholes this blasted planet was riddled with.

Could he look for Kenobi? No, he didn't have time. Rex had to move fast if he wanted to find Ahsoka and warn her before any other clone found and killed her. Kix would do what he could from his end, with all the Jedi on Coruscant and General Skywalker. Rex would find Ahsoka and make sure she was alright.

Reaching the space port, Rex was lucky enough to find a small time bounty hunter who was selling a small, unmarked fight. After paying off the scum with sabacc winnings, the captain boarded, and blasted off.

He set a course for Ahsoka's last known location. A forest planet in the far outer rim.

* * *

 **Ahsoka**

It started out as a whisper in the Force. She had been hearing whispers for days, prompting her to keep a ship ready to fly. But this time was different.

Ahsoka had paused in her walk through the woods by her little house.

 _Something was wrong._

And yet, nothing around her.

Then the screaming. The Force cried out, but it wasn't the Force, it was hundreds of thousands of voices calling out, as if an _entire planet_ was dying all at once.

The former Jedi fell to her knees, hands over her montrals in a useless attempt to block it out. What was-

 _Death. Destruction. Betrayal._

There was betrayal and pain and something was _**wrong**_ , the galaxy was spinning out of control!

A hand kneaded her chest, the pain was there, in her heart, the last time she felt anything remotely like this was Geonosis-

No. Nonononono it wasn't possible.

But it was happening.

Jedi were dying, by the thousands, struck down all at once.

Ignoring the pain, Ahsoka ran for her ship, blasting off as soon as she could.

* * *

The pain didn't lessen. If anything, it grew worse.

She couldn't have been flying for more than three hours when the message came, on secure channels.

 **The war is over. All Jedi return to Coruscant.**

The Togruta frowned. This didn't smell right. If her time fighting had taught her anything, it was that anything that seemed like a trap, usually was.

And not even two hours later, a different message.

From Obi-Wan.

 **The Jedi Order has fallen. Do not return to Coruscant.**

 _Fallen_. How was that possible?

Then Obi-Wan called her on her personal comm link.

"Ahsoka, do you read me?"

"Master Obi-Wan! What's going on?!"

"We were betrayed, Ahsoka. The Chancellor was the Sith Lord."

"Chancellor Palpatine?"

"Yes. He was behind everything this whole time. And the clones betrayed us as well."

"What?! They would never-"

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan gently interrupted. "They turned on the Jedi. Surely you felt…"

"That was them?" Ahsoka whispered, tears forming. No, this was too much.

"Yes. I called to warn you, in case any come looking for you."

"What…what do I do?"

"Lie low." He advised. "Keep a low profile, and keep the way of the Jedi alive."

Ahsoka nodded dazedly. Then a thought occurred to her. "What about Anakin? Is he alright? Is he with you?"

There was a pause, one that nearly made Ahsoka scream.

"I don't know yet. I'm on my way to find him."

Another pause. Then, "Ahsoka, I also need to warn you, the Chancellor, Sidious, he has an apprentice. Darth Vader." The name sent chills down Ahsoka's spine. "Vader…is very dangerous. He…and the 501st marched on the Jedi Temple."

"No." Ahsoka breathed.

"They slaughtered everyone there. Everyone, from the Masters to the…the younglings."

"No." Tears dripped from her eyes. "No."

A noise sounded through the comm link, and Obi-Wan said: "I have to go, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka's throat and voice couldn't seem to work correctly. "Yes." She whispered. "Stay safe, Master. May the Force be with you."

"And with you Ahsoka."

And then Obi-Wan was gone. Ahsoka sank into the pilot's seat, and wept.

* * *

She kept flying for a while. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she couldn't yet return to the little planet she'd been calling home.

She flew for a couple days, flying through the Outer Rim, with no real destination.

Suddenly, she felt something.

Another whisper in the Force, like bird song before a storm.

Something was about to happen.

Something big.

 _Mustafar_.

She needed to go to Mustafar.

* * *

The pain started before she reached the system.

Something was being wrenched apart, something great and beautiful, being torn apart with hatred and the dark side.

The Force started screaming again, worse than before. It was crying out, divided against itself, Light and Dark.

Pain laced through her, coming from the bond she still shared with her master, and she immediately recognized the screams.

 _Anakin!_

Pain ripped through the bond as Light and Dark battled for the galaxy.

Dark won.

The agony increased, if that was possible.

 _Master!_

But there was no answer.

Frantically, Ahsoka pounded on her controls, urging the bucket to go faster, because no no no she couldn't be too late _this wasn't happening **this couldn't be happening!**_

Just as she reached the edge of the Mustafar system, something happened. She stopped the ship for a moment, hardly realizing she was holding her breath.

Greif, despair, betrayal, pain, _fury_ of unbelievable proportions slammed into her.

A flash of heat, fire, pain.

Dark and Light clashed again, almost tangible, two titans locked in a duel. It was as if the very Force itself had manifested into physical forms and was fighting, light against dark, like back on Mortis.

Agony! Fire!

The Dark side slammed into her, making her reel back. The galaxy was being torn apart, and the Force screamed.

Fire laced up Ahsoka's back, and she dropped to her knees, screaming. Agony and fire and fire and agony fire everywhere! It was indescribable and unbelievable.

The Force screamed, Ahsoka screamed, and faintly she could hear Anakin screaming as well.

Fire filled her vision, blocking everything else out. She could see the ground in front of her, shifting red and black melted rock. She was on fire, the flames eagerly devouring her, as she desperately clawed at the ground to escape the fire. A scream ripped its way out of her damaged body, echoing around the planet, through the Force.

And as she burned, so did the galaxy.


	3. Explanations

**It's long. Hope you guys enjoy it! Tell me what you think please!**

* * *

… _beep…_

… _beep…beep…_

What was that?

… _beep…beep…beep…_

What happened?

A rusty blur was all she could see.

Her head ached, the pain echoing throughout her whole body.

Ahsoka groaned as she sat up, one hand to her head.

What had happened?

In a flash, she remembered.

 _Screaming._

 _Fire._

 _The galaxy being torn apart._

 _Anakin._

 **No.**

Desperately, Ahsoka reached for the bond, only to find the shredded, tattered remains drifting in the Force.

 **No.**

Tears filled her eyes, slipping down her cheeks as she tried not to make a sound.

A beep caught her attention. There was a message on her comm, from Obi-Wan.

" _This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising in their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith, our friendships, but we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you. Always."_

Dazed, Ahsoka looked around and realized she was in orbit around a moon, only a short distance from the Mustafar system.

She had been too late.

Ahsoka quickly wiped her eyes and set the computer to take her back home.

The blue of hyperspace helped calm her. Hyperspace had always helped calm Anakin too. The infinite galaxy, no end in sight, he always liked –

Had liked.

He always _had_ liked it.

He was gone.

Anakin was _gone_.

Ahsoka's anguished wail echoed around her ship as she fell to her knees.

* * *

 **Rex**

Rex sighed as he trudged through forest. The villagers had kindly told him that Ahsoka, or rather, the mysterious Togruta, lived in the woods, just past the river.

Rex just hoped she was still there.

After about another hour of trudging, Rex came upon the river. It wasn't too wide, and there were stepping stones to get across it.

Once across, he walked with renewed vigor. He'd find her soon.

A half mile away from the river, he came across a small, humble, cottage. It was small, modest.

 _Just like a Jedi_ , Rex thought fondly.

He walked up to the door, faintly nervous. What if he was too late?

No. He couldn't be. Ahsoka was a good fighter, there was no way she'd been taken out.

Rex removed his helmet and contemplated the cottage for a minute.

Then, taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

He knocked again.

Nothing.

 **No!**

Before he could knock a third time, he heard a sound he'd be able to identify _anywhere_.

A lightsaber igniting.

Rex whipped around, only to be met with a green blade to his throat and a _very_ familiar face glaring at him.

"Ahso-"

"How could you?" She snarled. Her eyes were faintly red, and she looked exhausted.

"I-"

"Why, Rex? Why did you come here? Wanted to make sure the job was done?!"

Fear seized Rex's heart. Fear, and concern, for the young woman in front of him.

"No!" He cried.

She stopped for a second, wavering.

"Then…then why are you here?!"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay!"

Her eyes, wide with surprise, suddenly narrowed.

"Why should I believe you?" She hissed. "You betrayed us! You and the others!"

"Ahsoka-"

"You and the others turned on us! You marched on the Temple! You shot us in the back! _**You killed Anakin!**_ "

Rex's helmet hit the ground with a dull thud.

"General Skywalker's dead?" Rex gasped, staring at Ahsoka in disbelief.

She stopped, voice catching in her throat.

"Ahsoka, please." Rex begged. "I didn't betray you, I promise. I would never."

Ahsoka scrutinized him for a long while.

"You're telling the truth." She realized quietly, feeling his sincerity in the Force.

Rex didn't reply as she deactivated her lightsaber.

"I-" but her voice failed her.

Without warning, she lunged at Rex, wrapping her arms around him desperately, wanting _someone_ to still be alright.

She burst into fresh tears as Rex held her.

"I didn't-Anakin-the others-I couldn't-I felt-"

"Shhh. It's okay ad'ika. It's okay."

After a few minutes, she managed to pull herself together.

"Sorry." She said, wiping her eyes.

"It's okay."

"Come in." She opened the door to her cottage, and they walked in.

There were two chairs, and Rex took one, looking around as he did so. The cottage held mostly just necessities, but there was a small collection of holopics on the dresser.

"What happened?" She asked. Rex sighed.

"It's a long story, one that actually started a while ago, with Fives."

"Fives?"

"Yes."

Rex hesitated for a second.

"You see, it was a mission to take a Seppie base. One of the men, Tup was acting weird. During the battle, he…snapped. Killed General Tiplar."

Ahsoka's eyes widened with shock.

"When we tried finding out what happened, the only thing Tup would say was 'good soldiers follow orders', over and over again. We got a ship to send him back to Kamino, but the Seppies attacked the ship and took Tup. Fives, General Skywalker, and I followed. We got there just in time for a rescue. Fives went with Tup to Kamino. The long necks said that Tup had some sort of trauma…Fives didn't believe them. I found out later, that he conducted his own investigation, and found some sort or tumor in Tup's head. Digging around more, he discovered that it was actually an inhibitor chip." Rex took a deep breath. "Then he found out all the clones have one. He tried to tell us, but" Rex's fist clenched. "We didn't…we didn't believe him." Rex swallowed. "Back on Corrie, Fox shot him. He…he died in my arms, happy, because the nightmares would finally stop."

A hand covered his own, making him look up. "I'm sorry." Ahsoka whispered.

A small shake of his head.

"I knew Fives was absolutely convinced about what he found. I had Kix look into it, secretly. He removed mine," Rex gestured to the small scar on the side of his head. "And I removed his."

"Where is Kix?"

"He stayed behind, to help as much as he could. Said he wanted to try and smuggle Jedi out."

Rex paused. "We were on Utapau, with General Kenobi when the order went out."

"Order?"

"Order 66." Rex spat. "An order that made every clone instantly see the Jedi as traitors to the Republic, and made them fire on sight."

"That's when…when I felt it through the Force." Ahsoka said. Rex looked away.

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"Still."

They were silent for a minute.

"So, you were on Utapau?"

Rex nodded. "Once the others left, I deactivated the life sensors in my armor, got a ship, and came looking for you. I wanted to make sure you stayed safe."

Ahsoka smiled faintly.

"Thank you Rex. I'm sorry about outside."

"It's fine, Commander."

Ahsoka chuckled briefly, at the title.

"What about you?" Rex asked.

Ahsoka looked down.

"I was here when I first felt something was wrong." She said. "I could fell Jedi dying by the _thousands_. I ran for my ship, wanting to…help, I guess." She looked back up. "While I was flying, I received two messages, three actually. The first said that the war was over, and for all Jedi to return to Coruscant. The next two were from Obi-Wan. They were warnings, a personal one, and a broadcasted one, to not return, to tell us that the Order had…fallen. The personal warning he gave me, he told me the clones had betrayed us, and that he was going to look for Anakin. I could feel I was needed on Mustafar, so I started there, but before I could reach the system…" she swallowed. "Obi-Wan had told me that Chancellor Palpatine was actually the Sith Lord, and was behind the whole war. He had an apprentice, Darth Vader, who had marched on the Temple, and was hunting down Jedi."

"The Chancellor?"

Ahsoka nodded.

"I was almost to the system!" She cried. "And then I…I….I felt him die, Rex. I felt Anakin _die!_ "

"Do you know what happened?"

"No." Ahsoka said miserably. "I assume it was Vader, or Palpatine, Sidious I should say, himself. I just…I can't believe he's gone!"

"Me either, ad'ika. Me either."

They were quiet for a moment before Ahsoka spoke.

"What now?"

"What?"

Ahsoka looked up at him. "What now, Rex? What do we do? An ex-Jedi and a former soldier? With an evil Empire rising?"

Rex shrugged. "Raise a little hell?"


End file.
